Radio frequency receivers are well known in the art. For example, many code division multiple access (CDMA) radio frequency receivers serve to receive a transmitted signal (or signals) and then utilize multi-path searching techniques to detect a desired transmission. In many such applications multiple antennas are used for reception. Received signals from each antenna are correlated with a despreading code to effect detection of a desired signal. Such correlation, however, comprises a time domain-based serial process that includes correlating received data samples against the reference signal, integrating the correlation results over time, and then detecting the correlation peaks.
Such multi-path searching tends to be computationally intensive. This presents particular problems when attempting to scale a receiver to effect parallel (or near-parallel) processing of multiple signals (as may be provided by, for example, multiple antennas). As a result, it typically becomes quickly non-feasible (either due to technical and/or commercial limitations due, in large part, to the need to provide and utilize additional hardware resources) to use, for example, multiple antennas with a CDMA receiver notwithstanding the performance improvements that one might otherwise expect and desire.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are typically not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.